Machine for thickening pulp



Aug. 10 1926.

F. P. KLUND MACHINE FOR THICKENING PULP Filed July 3, 1925 Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

UNITED STATES rnnnnmc r. KLUND, or ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, I

MACHINE FOB THICKENING PULP.

I Application filed July 3, 1925. Serial No. 41,857.

4 This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for expressing liquids, carried in suspension, from fibrous or granular material.

The object of my invention is to provide mechanism to receive pulp which has been gathered by means of any of the well known revolving screen types of apparatus from a soup tank in the form of saturated pulp, and express therefrom excess free water, and deliver it for any of the uses for which the pulp is adapted.

The object of the present invention is,

therefore, to provide suitable mechanical means whereby a continuous supply of liquid im regnated fibrous or granular material wi 1 be placed upon a travelling screen and time to flow out of the materia and drop from the screen.

These and other features of my invention will appear hereinafter and are illustrated,

in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, partially in,

section, of my improved pulp drying mechanism.

Figure 2 is a like view of a modification of the same.

In these drawings A indicates a screen cylinder, having a shell composed of screen material suitably reinforced, in thelu sual manner, to resist the pressure of the press apparatus. i

B indicates a hopper which is co-extensive with the length of the cylinder, and is provided with an adjustable gateC, which is provided with an operating hand screw D by means of which the gate C can be raised or lowered to increase or diminish the width of the discharge opening of the hopper B through which the material to be operated upon flows upon the eriphery of the screen cylinder; The cylin er A maybe provided with a radial flange A at each end thereof which is adapted to form the edges of the layer of material as it is laid upon the cylinder A.

E and F are rollers mounted parallel with and adjacent to the cylinder A, upon which is placed a flexible belt G which continuous- 1y presses the layer of material firmly against t 1e periphery of the cylinder A. The roller F is preferably closer to the cylinder A than the roller E so that the pressure of the belt G against the layer of material gradually increases between the rollers E and F.

The rollers E and F are preferably rovided with adjusting mechanism not shown) of usual and ordinary construction, whereby the same may be adjusted with relation to the cylinder A, and may be provided with driving gear (not shown) ada ted to ensure identical rotative speed with t e cylinder A.

I alsojprovide a trough H to catch the liquid expressed from the material operated upon, and convey it from the apparatus.

J indicates a conveyor mechanism to sup ly the liquid soaked material to the hopper and K indicates material being conveyed thereby to the hopper B.

The trough H is provided with a doctor or scraper H which is pivoted thereon, and is rovided with a lever h in which is placed a Band screw h adapted to operate said lever k to swing the upper edge of said scraper toward or from the cylinder A so that the same can be adjusted to properly scrape the material olf of the cylinder.

I also provide a suction box M from which air can be exhausted for the purpose of clearing the perforations in the shell of the cylinder of particles of'materialwhich tend to clog the same.

' L and L indicate press rolls between which the material may be passed to compact the same, or to form the material into sheets of a uniform thickness. M indicates a spray tube installed within the cylinder A,- an

adapted to direct sprays of water against t e inner surface of the screen, for the urpose of cleaning the-screen of any particles of fibres which may adhere to the exterior surface thereof which ma not be washed therefrom by the water falling from t1 e upper portion of the screen.

In Fig. --2 I show a modification B of the ho per, in which the .gate C is eliminated, an the roller and flexible belt G thereon project into the hopper, so that the travelling belt, and screen A, act upon the material to draw the same therebetween.

In operation, the screen A is not submerged. The material from which liquid is to be removed after having been gathered from a soup tank by any of the well known cylinder screen machines is deposited on the carrier J by which it is delivered into the hopper B and thence to the upper portion of the screen, in an even layer of until the material passes from between the roller F and the screen, thereby giving time for a greater amount of liquid to be released from the material and dro from the screen, so that it will not be re-a sorbed when the pressure is released when the material passes from between the roller F and the screen, thus permitting the output to be greatly increased with a high degree of dryness and of a thickness that it will not adhere to the under side of a felt.

The advantages of this invention are that it is simple in construction, that it is capable of a high output, and that the product is much greater in quantity and contains much less moisture than the product of any of the machines as at present constructed.

After leaving the screen A the layer of material is passed between press-rolls L and L, or a succession of such rolls, until it is compacted sufliciently for the purpose desire Having thus fully described my invention so' that others can utilize the same, it is obvious that many changes can be made therein without departing from the scope of my invention, therefore what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an apparatus of the class described, a

- moving screen to receive a layer of material, a movmg press device to press said material against said screen, and suction box mechanism to draw loose fibers of said material out of the openings in said screen.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a moving screen, means to place a supply of material on said sc een, a moving press device acting in oppo ition to said screen, and

means to clear said screen ofloose fibers of material.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a moving screen, conveyor mechanism to carry material to said screen, a moving pres- 'sure device acting in opposition to said screen.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a moving screen, a hopper adapted to receive material and direct it upon said screen, conveyor mechanism to carry material to said hopper, and a moving press device acting in opposition to said screen to express excess fluid from said material.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a moving screen mechanism, a moving pressure device adapted to exert pressure in opposition to said screen, a hopper adapted to 

